Merrywood School

Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the closure notices issued by Bristol Council for the closure of Merrywood School, Bristol, fulfilled the statutory requirements for such notices.

Baroness Blackstone: The proposals for closure of Merrywood School were published on 5 July 1999. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State considered that the notices met the requirements set out in the Education (Publication of School Proposals and Notices) Regulations 1993. Information provided by the local education authority showed that parents were aware of the detailed arrangements underlying the published proposals, and in particular the transitional arrangements.

Cattle Slaughter: Pithing

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the practice of "pithing" cattle at slaughter results in the contamination of the carcass with brain material; and, if so, what is the level of such contamination.

Baroness Hayman: The Government have funded research which found evidence of contamination of jugular blood by fragments of brain tissue in one out of 16 animals which were pithed following stunning. That research did not investigate whether any traces of brain tissue could be transported in the blood to the rest of the carcase. The results were published in the Veterinary Record of 16 October 1999. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee reviewed the research findings and advised that there is no reason on the basis of current data to change UK practices of stunning and pithing during slaughter of cattle.

CAP Administration: IT Systems

Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether major new information technology systems for common agricultural policy administration will not be introduced in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food until any such systems have been fully tested and their efficiency and reliability have been proven.

Baroness Hayman: The recent studies (the PricewaterhouseCoopers Review of CAP Scheme Administration and the report of the Independent Working Group on IACS and Inspections) have recommended that modern IT systems would offer substantial scope for reducing the burden of form filling in the farming community.
	Before any new systems go live they will of course need to be fully tested. The trial of electronic IACS application forms which is currently running in East Anglia is an important first step in this process. We are also considering ways of ensuring that farmers who do not wish to use the new technology themselves will have access to suitable sources of advice and assistance.

UK Automobile Industry and the Euro

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What will be the positive and negative effects over the next decade on the British automobile industry of the advent of the euro, whether or not the United Kingdom adopts the euro.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The launch of the euro in eleven European (EU) countries has major implications for UK firms of all sizes across a number of business sectors, including the automotive sector.
	That is why the Government have established the Euro Preparations Unit (EPU). Since its inception in December 1997, EPU has run a major business information campaign on the euro and published euro fact sheets and case studies, which help small and medium sized enterprises to take account of the euro now that it is a business reality. Further information can be found in the Treasury's regular euro progress reports, the most recent of which was published in November 1999. Copies of these reports are available in the Library of the House.

Sudan: Export of Oil-related Equipment

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether oil extraction and pipeline equipment come within the definition of strategic goods; and, if so, whether they will refuse licences for the export of such goods to the Sudan.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The export of oil extraction and pipeline equipment is not generally subject to control. All applications for a licence to export controlled items to Sudan are considered on a case by case basis, irrespective of their intended end use, against the relevant criteria and in light of current circumstances in Sudan and the continuing EU arms embargo.

UK Bicentenary: Commemorative Postage Stamp

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 16 March (WA 220-221) what arrangements the Royal Mail are making to celebrate the bicentenary of the creation of the United Kingdom in 2001.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The issue of stamps is a matter for the Post Office. I am advised that the possibility of including the 200th anniversary of the creation of the United Kindom in the 2001 stamp programme was considered in early 1998--and research was conducted into the 200th anniversary of the Union Flag, the physical icon of the creation of the UK. The Post Office receives some 2,000 suggestions for over 300 subjects. Detailed research suggested there was no strong support for a stamp covering this anniversary. Only 10 subjects were chosen for the 2001 programme and the creation of the United Kingdom was not one of them. However, the entire Millennium stamp programme is a celebration of the United Kingdom past, present and future.

Art Resales: Droit de Suite Terms

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the terms of the imposition of droit de suite taxation on art resales in the United Kingdom as agreed by the European Union on 15 March.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The principal features of the agreement on the levy on modern and contemporary art resales are:
	(i) royalty rates tapering from 4 per cent to 0.25 per cent;
	(ii) a 12,500 euros cap on payments;
	(iii) exemption of sales up to 4,000 euros, private sales, and sales where a work has been acquired directly from the artist and sold within three years for not more than 10,000 euros;
	(iv) a five-year period for transposition into national law;
	(v) for member states which currently do not apply the right, a 10 year derogation in which to apply the right only to the works of living artists;
	(vi) an obligation on the Commission to initiate negotiation of an international agreement; and
	(vii) a review of the effect of the directive after three years and every four years thereafter, in particular, its effect on the competitiveness of Community art markets in relation to third country markets which do not apply the right.

Art Resales: Droit de Suite Terms

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they voted in favour of the decision by the European Union on 15 March to impose droit de suite taxation on art resales in the United Kingdom.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The proposal for an EC directive harmonising the droit de suite levy on resales on modern and contemporary art was endorsed unanimously at the Committee of Permanent Representatives. The directive will go forward to Council as an "A" point--i.e. for agreement without discussion. It will then be discussed in the European Parliament, and could be agreed finally before the end of the year.

Magistrates from Afro-Caribbean and Asian Ethnic Minorities

Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of (a) lay and (b) stipendiary magistrates in England and Wales are drawn from Afro-Caribbean or Asian ethnic minorities.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: (a) A survey of lay magistrates (excluding those in the Duchy of Lancaster) conducted in 1997 indicated that there were 753 lay magistrates, 286 female and 467 male, from Afro-Caribbean and Asian ethnic minorities (2.9 per cent). The survey showed that overall 4.1 per cent of magistrates classified themselves as belonging to an ethnic minority community. There has, however, been an increasing percentage of appointments of people from ethnic minorities in recent years; in 1995, 6 per cent of those appointed were from an ethnic minority and last year the figure rose to 7.6 per cent. Figures for the total number of magistrates from ethnic minorities will be available later this year and I am confident that the percentage will show an increase over 1997. (b) There are two stipendiary magistrates from the Asian community, one female and one male (1.9 per cent).

Electoral Commission: Initial Expenses

Baroness Crawley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What costs relating to the establishment of the Electoral Commission will be met in advance of Royal Assent being given to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is in the public interest to ensure that the commission is functioning at the earliest opportunity. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has made clear his wish that it should be up and running by this November. To meet this tight timetable some costs such as those relating to the recruitment of the Commissioners will necessarily be incurred before Royal Assent.
	Parliamentary approval to this service will be sought in a Main Estimate for the Electoral Commission Vote (Class XVIII, C, Vote 1). Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £300,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

Crime Fighting: New Funding

Baroness Uddin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will provide further details about the additional money for fighting crime which was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Statement on 21 March.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: 1. As a result of the funding decisions outlined in the Budget statement, there will be a significant injection of £285 million for tackling crime and the causes of crime. This comprises Capital Modernisation Funding of £185 million for a range of projects, and a £100 million fund for modernising policing, of which around £91 million is for England and Wales and £9 million is for Scotland. £14 million of expenditure under the Capital Modernisation Fund has been previously announced in respect of DNA. The rest represents new money.
	2. This funding will be used to step up the fight against crime in four key areas. It will speed up the recruitment of new officers; create more opportunities for local partnerships to tackle crime and disorder; provide further scientific and technological support to increase their effectiveness; and will develop and modernise the criminal justice system.
	Crime Fighting Fund
	3. The first deployment of resources from the £91 million fund for modernising policing will be utilised to enhance the Crime Fighting Fund. Under the Crime Fighting Fund, police forces have been allocated their shares of the 5,000 additional recruits over the next three years. This programme will now be brought forward with the aim of delivering all 5,000 within two years. Doubling the number to be recruited during the coming financial year will cost in the region of £11 million, above and beyond the £35 million which has already been provided for the current allocation. A further significant portion of the new £91 million funding will be used to assist the Metropolitan Police and other forces which are having particular difficulties with recruitment and retention, including the development of a national police recruiting campaign.
	Partnerships
	4. This new fund will also be an important contributor to strengthening the services which the police deliver, including cutting crime. In that context, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary will also want to look closely at the resources available to support the work with which the police are involved on local partnerships for tackling crime. In particular, he wants to look at the resources to deal with local problems of anti-social behaviour, to improve information sharing between partner agencies, and to provide more effective training in the development and implementation of local crime reduction strategies. One specific new development in this area is that Capital Modernisation Fund moneys will provide £950,000 to Operation LION. This is a programme being piloted in London which will encourage the development of integrated strategies to reduce crime and improve community safety.
	Police--Science and Technology
	5. The Capital Modernisation Fund will also boost the programme of work we already have in hand to roll out the latest and best in science and technology to the Police Service.
	6. We shall be applying £40 million of new capital modernisation funding, together with £6 million already set aside, to roll out a new suite of information technology applications to support police operations as part of the National Strategy for Police Information Systems. The new systems, one on case preparation, the other for custody suites, will reduce considerably the burden of paperwork and bureaucracy, releasing police manpower to their primary duties. These projects will also be at the heart of a network of information technology systems connecting the criminal justice system and improving the efficiency of the whole process.
	7. We are also using £25 million of the capital modernisation funding to establish a new Government Technical Assistance Centre (GTAC). GTAC will enable us to respond to the threat to public safety from criminal use of encryption and will provide law enforcement agencies with the capability to derive intelligence and evidence from new information and communication technologies. It will make a difference between serious crime being prevented or punished and criminals going unpunished and free to continue their activities by providing techniques for lawful interception of modern multimedia communications. It will also improve facilities for deriving evidence from lawfully seized computer data.
	8. The programme to expand the national database of criminal DNA profiles which the Prime Minister announced last September will also start delivering on 1 April. The capital modernisation funding includes £14 million specifically for the DNA database, as part of the £34 million envelope of funding for the DNA project which has already been announced.
	9. A further £21 million has been allocated for the roll-out of equipment to police forces for the video recording of interviews with suspects. The full roll-out is subject to the evaluation of an initial pilot scheme and the necessary parliamentary legislation. But, in principle, video taping will offer the prospect of an end to disputes in court about what actually happened during police interviews and thus deliver fairer administration of justice.
	10. Another significant project using the latest technology will receive funding to help the fight against property crime. £4.5 million is being provided to develop the electronic "chipping" of goods. These electronic data tags will assist police officers or investigators in identifying and recovering stolen merchandise and be a powerful deterrent to would-be thieves, not only by increasing the risk of being caught but also making it more difficult for them to find purchasers of stolen merchandise.
	Modernising and Developing the Criminal Justice System
	11. In addition to investing in science and technology for the police, the extra resources announced in the Budget will provide additional investment right across the criminal justice system. The aim is to help modernise the system as a whole and to deliver a more joined-up approach to tackling crime. It will also help to deliver the modern service that the public is entitled to expect from the criminal justice system. The new capital investment includes the following:
	12. Video links: £5.3 million to allow the innovative use of video conferencing technology to allow vulnerable or intimidated witnesses to give evidence remotely and also to allow defendants remanded in custody to take part in preliminary court hearings without leaving prison. This will build on the existing pilot schemes for video links between courts and prisons in Bristol and Manchester;
	13. Post-release hostels for prisoners after drug treatment: £5 million to allow the establishment of post-release support for prisoners who have served sentences of up to a year and have drug misuse as well as housing problems. This will help in reducing reoffending by a group of high risk offenders;
	14. Restructuring the prison estate: an investment of £40 million to modernise the prison estate. This will enable a start to be made on a programme to provide additional prison capacity. It will include creating additional capacity in existing prisons and, as a result of the success of home detention curfew, converting spare capacity in open prisons into closed conditions;
	15. Joining up criminal justice system information technology systems: £1.48 million to provide a central resource for the Criminal Justice System Integrating Business and Information Systems (IBIS) initiative. This will be used to ensure that Criminal Justice Service and agency information technology systems are developed so as to allow interoperability between them. Interoperability will support the fast access to information to the key business areas in the criminal justice system, from preparing cases through the court process to serving sentences;
	16. Criminal Justice Units: £5 million to enable the Crown Prosecution Service to invest in the infrastructure needed for new joint Crown Prosecution Service/police criminal justice units. These will lead to improved quality and timeliness of prosecution files, involve closer and better working relationships so as to eliminate the duplication of tasks, and will improve the handling of criminal justice casework and get it right first time; and
	17. In addition to these projects, the Lord Chancellor will make an announcement next month about additional investment of £23 million to modernise the Crown Court.

Race Equality Performance Indicators

Baroness Uddin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish the basket of race equality performance indicators they have been developing.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has today placed in the Library a copy of the document Race Equality in Public Services--Driving up Standards and Accounting for Progress. The document sets out performance data in a number of key areas which are of interest to ethnic minority communities, and provides a quantifiable way of demonstrating the Government's progress in promoting race equality.

Police Officers: Injuries

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 1 February (WA 29-30), whether they will give further details of the payments to police officers on duty.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Pursuant to my reply of 1 February 2000, cols. WA 29-30, Table 1 in respect of the number of injuries to police officers in England in 1997-98 and 1998-99 related to injuries which resulted in police officers being absent from work for more than three consecutive days and not all injuries as implied by the Answer. Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985, employers are not required to report injuries which result in less or no time off work.
	The table is reproduced as follows:
	
		Table 1 
		
			  Injuries to police officers resulting in more than 3 consecutive days off work  
			 Type of Accident 1997-98 1998-99 
			 Struck by moving, flying or falling  object 134 154 
			 Struck by moving vehicle 52 73 
			 Strike against something fixed or  stationary 83 94 
			 Injured whilst handling, lifting or  carrying 238 326 
			 Slip, trip or fall on same level 326 324 
			 Falls from height 87 103 
			 Exposed to or contact with harmful  substance 21 36 
			 Injured by an animal 35 51 
			 Injuries caused by assault or violence 527 448 
			 Other kind of accident 184 160 
			  
			 Totals 1,687 1,769 
		
	
	Source:
	Health and Safety Executive.
	The Police Service does not make payments to officers who are injured on duty.
	Officers may apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for compensation for personal injury arising from crimes of violence.

Asylum Applications from Citizens of Council of Europe States

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their policy in regard to applications for asylum from citizens of member states of the Council of Europe which have accepted the obligation to observe human rights.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: We will consider such applications on their merits, as the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees requires us to do. Those which are unfounded will be refused, and those which are manifestly unfounded or fall under one of the other grounds in paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to the Asylum and Immigration Act 1993 will be certified, with the consequence that any appeal against the refusal is accelerated.

Airguns Used in Commission of Offences: Forfeiture

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will enable and encourage courts to order the confiscation of any airgun used or involved in the committing of an offence.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under Section 43 of the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973, courts are empowered to make an order of forfeiture of property (including, if relevant, an airgun). This power is available where the court is satisfied of a limited set of circumstances:
	that the property has been used for committing or facilitating the commission of an offence or that it was intended to be so used; or
	where the possession of the property was itself the offence.
	Exercise of this power is entirely at the discretion of the court in the light of the circumstances of the offence and the offender.

Prison Chaplaincy: Mission Statement

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the Prison Chaplaincy's official policy or mission statement.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The policy of the Prison Chaplaincy is to support the Prison Service's objectives of protecting the public by holding those committed by the courts in a safe, decent and healthy environment and to reduce crime by providing constructive regimes which address offending behaviour, improve educational and work skills and promote law abiding behaviour in custody and after release.
	Its Mission Statement is that the Prison Chaplaincy serves the Kingdom of God and society through the pastoral care of all who live and work in prison, by proclaiming the Gospel, celebrating the sacrament and furthering moral and spiritual values. This pastoral role includes facilitating the observance of religious practice by prisoners of other faiths.

Prison Chaplain General

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have decided not to appoint a successor when the present Prison Chaplain General retires; and what role the Bishop to Prisons will then play.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: No. The appointment of a successor to the current Chaplain General is being considered.

Armed Forces Pensions Scheme: Widows' and Widowers' Pensions

Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many post-1973 Ministry of Defence non-attributable widows are currently in receipt of Forces Family Pensions; and
	How many new post-1973 Ministry of Defence non-attributable widows there have been in each of the last 10 years.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: About 76,000 widows and widowers are currently being paid pensions from the Armed Forces Pensions Scheme. Our records do not break this figure down by year of retirement or between widows/widowers whose husbands retired before and after 1973. To attempt to do so would require a manual search of all 76,000 pensions files, and that would incur disproportionate cost. Some 2,500 attributable widows' and widowers' pensions are being paid from the AFPS, all of them to the widows and widowers of individuals who retired or died in service after 1973.

Hospices and Palliative Care

Lord Hayhoe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the debate on hospices on 1 March (H.L. Deb., cols. 605-628) when the present decline in their financial support for independent hospices is expected to be arrested and reversed; and
	What specific attention they give to issues concerning the financial support of independent hospices in their regular review meetings with regional health authorities; and
	How many health improvement programmes incorporating appropriate strategies for hospices and palliative care have been agreed; and how many are outstanding; and
	What action is in hand to increase the number of health authorities with agreed palliative care strategies in place; and
	When the current work referred to by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 1 March (H.L. Deb., Cols. 624-628) to establish performance standards and education concerning palliative care is expected to be completed; and what action is then proposed to ensure their adoption and implementation.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: At present, the National Health Service contribution to hospices is about 31 per cent or a third of their running costs. Specifying centrally what the proportion of NHS funding should be is not sensible, given the extent of local diversity both of services provided and alternative sources of local support. Therefore issues concerning the financial support for hospices are for local discussion and agreement.
	The Health Improvement Programme (HimP) is and will continue to be the funding mechanism for palliative care services. Further HimPs will be set in the context of the priorities set in the National Priorities Guidance and Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, and will support the implementaion of National Service Frameworks at local level. These frameworks, together with the recommendations contained within Calman/Hine for cancer services, set out the way in which palliative care is addressed in each area as part of the Health Improvement Programme process. Voluntary healthcare providers are viewed as important players in the planning and provision of services and should be involved in this. From this should flow more detailed plans for commissioning services, which will include arrangements for palliative care and the funding to be made available, giving hospices some long-term financial stability.
	Health Improvement Programmes for the period April 2000 to March 2003 are due to be agreed and published by local health communities by the end of March 2000. It is too early to tell how many of these will address the need for hospice and palliative care. It is vital that all stakeholders are offered the opportunity to engage in the HimP process and influence strategy. Regional offices of the NHS Executive will monitor this process to ensure that all are actively contributing.
	Health Service Circular 1998/99 stated that commissioners, including primary health care groups, need to work together with providers to develop a palliative care strategy which is right for their population based on health needs assessment. From the recent national survey of palliative care provision we know that at present about 50 per cent of health authorities have developed strategies for palliative care. We believe that a more comprehensive strategy is needed. This is currently being worked on within the wider cancer strategy and encompasses the Supportive Care Strategy, being developed by Professor Mike Richards, which has palliative care as one of the key components. Together these will lay the foundation for a tightly managed implementation programme.
	An essential part of the Supportive Care Strategy is to develop standards and performance indicators for palliative care. This work is being taken forward as part of a quality improvement framework for cancer services and is being developed with the National Council for Hospices and Specialist Palliative Care Services. The standards and performance indicators will be piloted within a number of health authorities/regions over the coming months and will be rolled out nationally in April 2001. We are currently looking at what data items need to be collected to measure access and to develop a project plan for quality measurement of palliative care services. The Commission for Health Improvement will be the champion of high quality standards through a rolling programme of visits to NHS trusts and will also act as a "trouble-shooter" where necessary.

Domiciliary Oxygen Therapy Services

Baroness Serota: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will review the Domiciliary Oxygen Service in England in the light of the Royal College of Physicians' guidance Domiciliary oxygen therapy services.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Following the publication of the Royal College of Physicians' guidance Domiciliary oxygen therapy services, we will be reviewing a number of aspects of the Domiciliary Oxygen Service under the following terms of reference:
	To review the scope and organisation of the Domiciliary Oxygen Service in England in the light of the 1999 guidance of the Royal College of Physicians, including:
	Whether, and if so to what extent, patient access to the service should continue to be via general practitioner prescribing or otherwise,
	the availability of alternative forms of oxygen delivery (cylinder, concentrator, and liquid) and associated equipment, and the circumstances in which one form might be preferable to another,
	whether the current supply arrangements, including the arrangements for setting prices should be maintained or altered,
	the cost effectiveness and affordability of any changes,
	other relevant matters.
	We have placed in the Library a copy of a letter to interested companies and organisations inviting them to let us have their views as a first step in the review.

New Variant CJD Cases

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will place in the Library of the House, or on the Internet, full details of each of the persons who have died in the United Kingdom of new variant CJD, showing (a) the date of death; (b) the age at death; (c) the age at onset of symptoms; (d) identified exposure to possible sources of infection; and (e) the genetic makeup of the prion gene.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To protect patient confidentiality, precise details cannot be supplied but the following information may be helpful:
	
		Table 1; variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD) cases in the UK, by month and year of death, date of onset of symptoms and date vCJD was confirmed
		
			 Date of death Date of onset of symptoms Date vCJD confirmed 
			 05/95 06/94 09/95 
			 11/95 01/95 01/96 
			 11/95 12/94 01/96 
			 01/96 02/94 01/96 
			 01/96 07/94 01/96 
			 02/96 08/94 03/96 
			 02/96 03/95 03/96 
			 02/96 01/95 02/96 
			 05/96 08/95 03/96 
			 06/96 01/94 04/96 
			 06/96 01/95 07/96 
			 09/96 07/95 09/96 
			 11/96 12/95 * 
			 02/97 12/95 06/97 
			 02/97 12/94 07/97 
			 03/97 10/95 05/97 
			 03/97 03/96 02/97 
			 05/97 03/94 06/97 
			 05/97 03/96 09/95 
			 06/97 01/96 06/97 
			 07/97 11/96 10/97 
			 10/97 10/96 11/97 
			 12/97 01/96 09/96 
			 01/98 02/97 03/98 
			 03/98 09/95 05/98 
			 04/98 03/96 06/98 
			 05/98 05/96 05/98 
			 08/98 07/97 10/98 
			 08/98 07/97 10/98 
			 10/98 05/96 10/98 
			 10/98 10/97 11/98 
			 10/98 11/97 11/98 
			 10/98 07/97 11/98 
			 10/98 11/97 12/98 
			 11/98 11/97 02/99 
			 11/98 04/98 02/99 
			 11/98 03/98 * 
			 12/98 05/98 10/99 
			 12/98 08/97 02/99 
			 12/98 12/97 03/99 
			 01/99 02/98 02/99 
			 02/99 12/97 09/99 
			 02/99 12/97 06/99 
			 02/99 10/97 05/99 
			 07/99 05/98 07/99 
			 08/99 06/98 08/99 
			 08/99 01/99 11/99 
			 09/99 12/96 09/99 
			 10/99 07/98 01/00 
			 10/99 01/99 12/99 
			 11/99 05/98 12/99 
			 01/00 04/99 02/00 
		
	
	* Cases not confirmed neuropathologically and therefore classed as 'probable vCJD'
	
		Table 2: vCJD cases in the UK, by age at death
		
			 Age at death Number of cases 
			 0-9 0 
			 10-19 8 
			 20-29 23 
			 30-39 14 
			 40-49 3 
			 50-59 4 
			 59+ 0 
			  
			 Total 52 
		
	
	Forty-nine of the fifty-two "definite" cases to date have been methionine/methionine homozygous at codon 129 for the prion protein. Results on one of the remaining cases are still awaited, and in the remaining two cases no blood was taken on which to conduct the appropriate genetic tests.
	To date the National CJD Surveillance Unit has no record of a case of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease having arisen as a consequence of medical or surgical intervention.

Abnormal Prions in Blood: Tests

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made on evaluating the capillary electrophoresis test, developed by Mary Jo Schmerr of the National Animal Disease Centre of the United States Department of Agriculture, for abnormal prions in blood; what tests are under way; and when it is expected that they will be completed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The test currently under development by Dr Schmerr has undergone some preliminary evaluation at: the Medical Research Council Prion Unit, London; the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit, Edinburgh; and the Veterinary Laboratory Agency, Weybridge. An application for a full evaluation of this, and other, blood tests is being considered by the Government. Before a diagnostic test such as this can be used to determine whether people or animals are infected with a transmissible encephalopathy agent at a pre-clinical stage, it will be necessary for the test to be fully developed and scientifically validated. We are not yet able to predict when any of these blood tests currently being developed will be completed.

Abnormal Prions in Blood: Tests

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made on the programme of screening tonsils removed in routine operations for the presence of abnormal prions; and whether they will publish the results of the screening to date.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Two retrospective studies to examine samples of tonsil and appendix tissue taken from 15,000 patients in the South West of England and 3,000 in the Lothian Region of Scotland for the presence of abnormal prions commenced in the spring of 1999. The first preliminary results from these studies are likely to be available during the spring and will then be considered by the Department of Health, the Medical Research Council and relevant scientific experts including the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee. An announcement will be made about the findings.
	An additional prospective study proposed by the London Prion Unit at St Mary's Hospital, to look at 2,000 tonsil specimens, has recently obtained ethical approval from the London Multi-centre Regional Ethical Committee and this study should be under way shortly.

TSE: Transmission

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are aware of any cases in which it appears possible that a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy has been transmitted by a human mother to her child in utero; and, if so, what is their current state of knowledge of such cases.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National CJD Surveillance Unit monitors the onset of all cases of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease in the United Kingdom. No confirmed or probable case has been reported to the Unit of a baby being affected by this disease.
	Epidemiological evidence from Kuru--a human TSE occurring amongst the Fore people of Papua New Guinea--suggests that human maternal transmission of TSE disease does not occur. However animal studies have shown maternal transmission can occur in scrapie in sheep and there is evidence of a low rate of vertical transmission of BSE in cattle. We will continue to liaise closely with scientists at the National CJD Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh to monitor the onset of all cases of CJD and seek to identify any common features.

TSE: Transmission

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there is any evidence that any Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy in any species can be transmitted through blood; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the principal relevant scientific papers.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Some animal studies have shown that certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies can be experimentally transmitted from animal to animal through blood components. However, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee at its February meeting reviewed recent research undertaken in this area and did not consider any measures were necessary, in addition to those already in place, to reduce any potential risk to public health from human blood and blood products.
	Copies of the following relevant scientific papers are being placed in the Library.
	Brown P. 1995, Can Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease be transmitted by Transfusion? Haematology 2: 472-477.
	Brown et al 1999, Further studies of blood infectivity in an experimental model of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, with an explanation of why blood components do not transmit Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. Transfusion Vol. 39, November/December 1169-1178.

TSE: Transmission

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there is the potential for transmission of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies through the use of inadequately sterilised dentists' instruments.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Although the possibility of person to person transmission of any theoretical Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy infectivity through the use of surgical instruments cannot be ruled out, the National CJD Surveillance Unit, as they investigate cases of CJD, undertake an examination of medical histories to look for common risk factors. Analyses of cases to date do not provide evidence to suggest any increased risk with past dental surgical intervention. Nonetheless, guidance has been formulated on appropriate prudent practice, which is available from the BDA, and which takes into account advice from the Joint Working Group of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens. In addition, a Health Service Circular on best practice on decontamination of medical devices was issued in August 1999 to healthcare organisations, including Dental Postgraduate Deans and Regional Dental Advisors.

TSE: Transmission

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Mr Rod Griffiths, the West Midlands director of public health, has been correctly quoted as saying (in respect of instruments used in subsequent operations having been used on a woman with new-variant CJD) that the risk to other women was vanishingly small, as the prion that caused CJD was removed simply by washing before sterilisation; and if so, whether they agree with him.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are unable to comment on the accuracy of the reporting of any statement by Professor Griffiths. However the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust has advised that Caesarean section itself is considered to be low risk surgery for transmission. The Government agree with advice from the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee that rigorous washing, decontamination and general hygiene practices with regard to surgical instruments are key measures in minimising the risk of any infection being transferred from patient to patient.
	To date, there is no known case of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease having arisen as a consequence of medical or surgical intervention.

TSE: Transmission

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why patients who have received blood or blood products from people who have subsequently developed CJD are allowed to donate blood.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There is strong epidemiological evidence to suggest that classic Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD) is not transmitted through blood. Donors who have received blood or blood products from people who subsequently developed classic CJD are therefore not barred from giving blood. However, there is far less knowledge about the routes of transmission of variant CJD and, as a precautionary measure, no blood from donors who received blood from people who subsequently developed variant CJD enters the blood supply. As an additional precaution against the theoretical risk that variant CJD may be transmitted through blood, all blood taken from United Kingdom donors is leucodepleted (the white cells are removed) and all blood products are made with plasma sourced from outside the UK.

Village Halls: VAT Refunds

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the recent Charity Tax Review has addressed the issue of VAT refunds on village and community halls.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The construction of village halls used for charitable purposes is already zero-rated for VAT. During the Review of Charity Taxation, many charities sought more VAT relief, including compensation for the irrecoverable VAT on their purchases. The Government made it clear in the consultation document issued in March 1999 that this was unacceptable on the grounds of both principle and cost. The Chancellor's Budget gave tax reliefs to charities worth £400 million a year.

Village Halls: VAT Refunds

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guidance the Treasury has given Customs and Excise on whether (and under what circumstances) village halls should be eligible for VAT refunds.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: None. Guidance on VAT matters is the responsibility of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise.

Employment Changes 1948-98, by Industry

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish, for the industries specified (a) the total employee job figures for 1948 and (b) an index based on 1948 = 100, showing the changes that have occurred in these industries from 1948 to 1998 in 10-year steps: coal mining; ports and docks; railways; steel production; shipbuilding; agriculture; motor vehicle manufacture.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics who has been asked to reply.
	Letter to Lord Laird from the Director of the Office for National Statistics, Dr T Holt, dated 27 March 2000
	As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the changes in employment by industry in the United Kingdom since 1948.
	The figures for 1948 to 1968 are based on information from British Labour Statistics Historical Abstract 1886-1968. For the years 1978 to 1998, figures are based on employment surveys in the nearest available year.
	You should be aware that the figures given in the reply are based on industry classifications that have changed several times since 1948 and therefore some estimates may not be strictly comparable over time.
	
		Employee jobs in the United Kingdom
		
			  Number (thousands) Index (1948=100) 
			  1948 1948 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998 
			 Coal Mining 794 100 98 61 37 15 2 
			 Ports and docks 156 100 100 87 42 23 16 
			 Railways 572 100 87 51 44 27 16 
			 Steel production 268 100 114 123 101 37 18 
			 Shipbuilding 245 100 88 64 60 24 8 
			 Agriculture 784 100 74 49 47 40 40 
			 Motor vehicle manufacture 280 100 113 169 169 39 36 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures are arranged according to the five versions of the Standard Industrial Classification in use from 1948 to date. For this reason the figures are broadly comparable but there may be some fine definitional differences in certain industries.
	2. The 1988 figures are interpolations based on the 1987 and 1989 Censuses of Employment. There was no Census of Employment in 1988.